I've recently had to undergo another CTC check. I did the first one 10 years ago before regs. I find it srange in todays current climate the form still only points towards entrants with Northern Ireland contacts\relatives etc.

Surely the form should be updated to take into account, with respect, people with Muslim contacts\relatives to.

I did my CTC in June and got given the NI contacts form to fill out - relatives, friends and everyone you've ever said hello to in Northern Ireland etc. BUT I was told the week after that the NI contacts form had been scrapped and I didn't need to submit it. You might want to look into it- could be there's no need to fill it in which would save you a lot of time and hassle. (obviously you'll still need to do the main CTC one)

Done all that and submitted at the beginning of November. I'm gonna call them after the New Year and chase it. I started the application process in July and am getting a little danted with the whole process.

I've recently had to undergo another CTC check. I did the first one 10 years ago before regs. I find it srange in todays current climate the form still only points towards entrants with Northern Ireland contacts\relatives etc.

Surely the form should be updated to take into account, with respect, people with Muslim contacts\relatives to.

Any thoughts on this?

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I asked that question at a recent seminar given by a Brigade Recruitment Advisory Team.

The answer I was given was that the current form already requires you declare whether you or any relative have frequent contact with or travel to another country. In theory, that should catch those who spend their hols in the North-West Frontier Province practising big-fat-belt-wearing.

I have a few problems with this.

First, that is not quite the same as being given an extra form because of one's background and being told: complete this or you don't get in. The additional second form is not a massively high hurdle to get over but at least it's something more than the "foreign contact" question, which people can simply ignore if they want to.

Secondly, I would imagine that it is possible to be a bad guy without having any contact with foreigners, or for one's bad guy chums to be British but goodies foreign. So someone could list their granny and aunty as their foreign contacts but still be learning how to fly planes into buildings from their British but loony mates.

Thirdly, a practical point. The Irish connections form actively dissuades recruits with Irish backgrounds (or at best makes their first year more uncomfortable than it should be). Would a new form specifically targeted at people from those backgrounds which present the primary current threat dissuade many recruits?

Last, a bit of an anti-PC rant. It was right to require British people with Irish connections, and Irish people, to be subjected to increased security checks, simply because they were in the category of greatest threat. Why is it not right to require British people with connections to Muslim countries, or British people of the Muslim faith, to be subject to the same scrutiny for the same reason? It is permissible to do this on grounds of national security, even with the Human Rights Act and European Convention on Human Rights in place. People say that it would be wrong to alienate one section of society: but how can that be squared with the way those crazy Paddies were, quite rightly, treated?

The answer I was given was that the current form already requires you declare whether you or any relative have frequent contact with or travel to another country. In theory, that should catch those who spend their hols in the North-West Frontier Province practising big-fat-belt-wearing.

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Funny that, I've got a blank electronic copy of the CTC and SC around here somewhere, had a DV one lurking around not one ago. Pretty certain none of them have asked me about Forreign connections besides NI, I'd imagine it would come up in a vetting interview though. Amusing since I have friends I regularly visit in a number of EU countries.. None in djurkadurkastan though.

The answer I was given was that the current form already requires you declare whether you or any relative have frequent contact with or travel to another country. In theory, that should catch those who spend their hols in the North-West Frontier Province practising big-fat-belt-wearing.

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Funny that, I've got a blank electronic copy of the CTC and SC around here somewhere, had a DV one lurking around not one ago. Pretty certain none of them have asked me about Forreign connections besides NI, I'd imagine it would come up in a vetting interview though. Amusing since I have friends I regularly visit in a number of EU countries.. None in djurkadurkastan though.

I have called TAC and have been told that they have contacted the [sarcasm]super speedy, well interested and capable[/sarcasm] people of Glasgow who have duly informed them that they are waitig for the checks to come back. FFS!!

Since I first put my mark on the Application form my wife has become pregnant (by me before you fcukers ask.. ) and is now 5 months gone. I just hope that they can square it away before the little fcuker pops its mug into this world. So for anyone asking how long does it take from sign up... possibly longer than it takes for you to father a sprog). For my sanitys sake I hope that last sentence doesn't bear true...

When i signed up in 98 the checks and that for me last 6 weeks as my father is irish. someone i know took 6 months becuase they r irish but had stayed here for most of there life. Not sure if it has changed much in that time.